• Qui veut la tête de Rakowsky?

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A second performance of this comic thriller by students of Culture Emulsion's Dubai-based drama school as part of its annual Tous en Scène festival of Francophone theatre.

    AED 110
  • Chris Tucker

    Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

    Tucker may have transitioned successfully into Hollywood hits like the Rush Hour franchise, but he hasn’t lost any of the energy and slick timing that distinguish his comedy specials. He gets the late spot (following Tom Segura) in this Abu [ ... ]

    From AED 250
  • Desi show featuring Akaash Singh

    Saadiyat Rotana Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Desi-American comic Akaash Singh shares this Abu Dhabi Comedy Week bill with local Desi comedians Saaniya Abaas, Miqdaad Dohadwala and Yash Bhardwaj. “If you’re easily offended, maybe don’t come to this one.” say the organisers …

    From AED 150
  • LAST CHANCE Elastic Visions

    Efiɛ Gallery 2 Al Khayat Art Avenue, First Al Khail Street, Dubai

    A group exhibition curated by Faridah Folawiyo, showcasing artists of African origin across the world and examining how artists from Africa and the diaspora see the restrictive concepts of Eurocentric cultural superiority. The show aims to stretch audiences’ limits and [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Oussama Diab and Wadeei Khaled: A Real Bad Dream

    Centro Capital Centre by Rotana Al Khaleej Al Arabi St, Abu Dhabi

    Tales of displacement and resilience from the Palestinian-Syrian Dutch artist Oussama Diab and Palestinian Wadeei Khaled. "Viewers are invited to explore the delicate terrain of individual and collective memories, manifested in the rich variety of Diab and Khaled’s artworks." The [ ... ]

    Free
  • Artist Talk: Independence in the Music Business with Oddisee

    NYUAD Art Gallery Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Prior to his Arts Center show tomorrow, the fiercely independent hip hop artist Oddisee will lead a talk in the NYUAD Gallery Reading Room that focuses on the DIY entrepreneurial approach to building his career – instead of pursuing record [ ... ]

  • Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro

    Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Exactly what it says: a regular Monday evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus guests. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]

    Free but donations welcome
  • LAST CHANCE Amir Khojasteh: Living in a Burning House

    CARBON 12 17th Street, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    "Amidst the unsettled times of an uprising in Iran, grappling with uncertainties, sadness, and paradoxes, artist Amir Khojasteh sought solace in his studio and tried to make sense of what was happening ... In this topsy-turvy world, the artist persisted [ ... ]

    Free
  • Oddisee

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A rare chance to see an unusual, indeed exceptional hip hop artist at work. Oddisee has always ploughed his own furrow – making his own music for the last 20 years and running his own label now, avoiding the temptations [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • De Grandes Espérances: dir Sylvain Desclou (2022)

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The regular Alliance Française ciné-apéro evening (a glass of wine and canapés before the screening) this month features Desclou's psychological/political thriller; a young couple with political aspirations more or less accidentally kill a violent driver on a remote country road. [ ... ]

    AED 45
  • More Than Honey: dir Markus Imhoof (2012)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth," said Albert Einstein, "man would have no more than four years left to live". Well, all over the world bees have been dying for the past few years. Although the [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Stop Making Sense: dir Jonathan Demme (1984)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    The best ever concert film? Certain one of the best; and one of the best suits, too ... Jonathan Demme captured the energy and artsy groove of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison at their best. Shot [ ... ]

    Free
  • Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro

    Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Ten actors converge for a night of scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. After each round you score the players on a scale of 1 to 5, and the one with the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]

    Free but donations welcome
  • LAST CHANCE Miramar Al Nayyar: Moving Through the Ether

    Tabari Artspace Gate Village Level 2, DIFC, Dubai

    A collection of abstract figurative works on canvas, "inviting viewers into a realm of recognition and constant metamorphosis ... Each 190 x 120cm canvas serves as a conduit for Miramar's endeavour to encapsulate the essence of the natural formations of [ ... ]

    Free
  • Art History Evenings: Orientalism in Decorative Arts, Architecture and Fashion

    BFAF Culture District, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    BFAF's art history lecture programme continues with art historian and researcher Maryam Jalali, who will explore how Eastern motifs and styles were romanticised in Western design from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Above: Fabio Fabbi, Women Resting on [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Les Monologues du V.

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A reprise of Culture Emulsion's careful and effective treatment of the Vagina Monologues; the dramatist Eve Ensler based her text on more than 200 interviews with women who confided their sensations, their traumas, their aspirations, their anxieties, their joys … [ ... ]

    AED 110
  • PowerPointless

    Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    One of the most consistently funny of the Courtyard's classic improv gigs is back after a couple of months' hiatus: the speakers have to give a presentation on a slide deck they’ve never seen before, with the topic determined at [ ... ]

    Free, but donations welcome
  • LAST CHANCE Mr Brainwash

    Oblong Contemporary Art Gallery Al Khayat Art Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai

    A solo show for the French-born LA-based street artist who started filming graffiti art and subsequently became an artist in his own right after an off-hand suggestion from Banksy. As it happens, many of the 10 works on show here [ ... ]

    Free
  • Mohamed Yousif and Maggie Otieno: Solace in Soil

    Efiɛ Gallery 2 Al Khayat Art Avenue, First Al Khail Street, Dubai

    A duo exhibition for Emirati artist Mohamed Yousif and Kenyan sculptor Maggie Otieno that "celebrates the grounded connections between the practices of the two artists and the cross-cultural exchange between the Middle East and Africa". Or as curator Shamma Al [ ... ]

    Free
  • Spectacle d’improvisation

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Ninety minutes of unplanned improv, performed (in French, of course) by students of Culture Emulsion's Dubai-based drama school as part of its annual Tous en Scène festival of Francophone theatre.

    AED 110
  • Ballet Hispánico

    Cultural Foundation Qasr al Hosn, Abu Dhabi

    An Arab World Premiere for Ballet Hispánico, the largest Hispanic cultural organisation in the States. The company (and subsequently its associated School of Dance and Community Arts Partnerships) was founded in 1970 to challenging stereotypes and demonstrate the joy and [ ... ]

    From AED 100
  • Hans Zimmer Live

    Coca-Cola Arena City Walk, Dubai

    Hans Zimmer is probably best known for some of the most listened-to soundtracks in the history of cinema – The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Dune - but his live show is also pretty special. [ ... ]

    From AED299
  • LAST CHANCE Sheher, Prakriti, Devi

    Ishara Art Foundation Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Riffing on the interwoven relationship between cities, the natural environment and the sacred, this show presents work by 12 artists and collectives working across diverse contexts of urban, rural, domestic, communitarian, public and non-material spaces. In this show are works [ ... ]

    Free
  • Sean McLennan: key of the glass door

    Mahaweb Art Studio Goshi Warehouse Village - 14 22nd St, Al Quoz 3, Dubai

    A short exhibition of work by the Scottish Mawaheb artist, his first solo show. To 6 June.

    Free
  • Les Tontons flingueurs

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A stage version of Michel Audiard's screenplay. Former mobster Fernand is living a quiet life, but things change when a dying friend asks him to take care of both his daughter and his shady business ... Gripping stuff. Performed (in [ ... ]

    AED 110
  • Ballet Hispánico

    Cultural Foundation Qasr al Hosn, Abu Dhabi

    A second and final Abu Dhabi performance for Ballet Hispánico, the largest Hispanic cultural organisation in the States. The company (and subsequently its associated School of Dance and Community Arts Partnerships) was founded in 1970 to challenging stereotypes and demonstrate [ ... ]

    From AED 100
  • Same Same, but Different: A Sit Down with Shawn and Friends

    VOX Mercato Mercato Mall, Jumeirah Beach Rd, Dubai

    An update of the show he did at this venue a month or two ago; Shawn Chidiac, aka ‘My Parents are Divorced', is doing this chat-plus-comedy evening once a month at VOX Cinemas Mercato Mall until the end of the [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Hans Zimmer Live

    Coca-Cola Arena City Walk, Dubai

    The second of two spectacular shows where the multi-instrumentalist composer Hans Zimmer recreates some of his exceptional film scores – The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Dune – arranged for live performance with a large [ ... ]

    From AED299
  • Sabrina: dir Billy Wilder (1954)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A newly-restored print of one of Hollywood's classics – romantic, witty, a great director, and full of stars: Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn lead in this Cinderella story of a gauche girl who returns from a trip to [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Saleh Show Live

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    "Wit, charm, and boundless humour" are promised from this "hilarious stand-up comedy show" by Saleh Al-Nawawy. It's also a podcast, and "one or two" audience members will be interviewed on stage. There'll be a guest comic too, though we don't [ ... ]

    AED 170
  • Les Tontons flingueurs

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The second performance for this Michel Audiard play. Former mobster Fernand is living a quiet life, but things change when a dying friend asks him to take care of both his daughter and his shady business ... Gripping stuff. Performed [ ... ]

    AED 110
  • Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro

    Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Exactly what it says: a regular Monday evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus guests. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]

    Free but donations welcome
  • Le Dîner de Cons

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A reprise of Culture Emulsion's version of Francis Veber's highly successful modern French farce. Pierre Brochant is one of the Parisian businessmen who have a weekly 'idiots' dinner', where guests bring along a dimwit who can be ridiculed. Brochant finds [ ... ]

    AED 110
  • Rushdi’s Comedy Souk

    Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A regular monthly evening of improv and stand-up hosted by Rushdi. The bar's set pretty high: "from side-splitting stand-up to mesmerising improv, the finest comedic artists from near and far come to showcase their talent."        

    Free, but pre-register
  • Le Dîner de Cons

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A second performance for Culture Emulsion's version of Francis Veber's highly successful modern French farce. Pierre Brochant is one of the Parisian businessmen who have a weekly 'idiots' dinner', where guests bring along a dimwit who can be ridiculed. Brochant [ ... ]

    AED 110
  • Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro

    Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Ten actors converge for a night of scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. After each round you score the players on a scale of 1 to 5, and the one with the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]

    Free but donations welcome
  • SCHLiNGEL Abu Dhabi: day one

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A weekend of films for children and the young, presented by the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region as a taster version of the well established SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival held in Chemnitz, Germany. The Abu Dhabi version runs over the weekend of [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Kusay Bader: What Have You Done

    Artbooth Gallery Centro Capital Center, Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Abu Dhabi

    Solo exhibition that offers "a unique perspective on the beauty of nature and the urgent need for environmental stewardship". To 14 July.

    Free
  • ChefBurger: Journey Through the Arts – From Tokyo to Paris

    ME Dubai The Opus by Omniyat, Al Amal Street, Business Bay, Dubai

    A collection of digital and painted art from ChefBurger (aka Mano Gonzalez) that "offers a unique opportunity to experience the convergence of diverse cultures through compelling portraits, French masterpieces, and a profound reverence for nature". Included is a new series [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Last Rifleman: dir Terry Sloane (2023)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A film for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and inspired by true events, The Last Rifleman is a moving drama starring Pierce Brosnan in one of his best roles as a WWII veteran living in a care home in Northern [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Sister Act: The Musical

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Deloris Van Cartier seeks refuge in a convent after witnessing a crime, and her vibrant personality and musical prowess injects the convent’s choir with infectious energy and harmony. It's based of course on the Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • The Best of Swan Lake

    Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, Dubai

    A return to Dubai for this touring one-hour version of Tchaikovsky's best-loved ballet, seen here at couple of years ago. It's danced by a company called Worldstars; it's a well established touring outfit that aims to preserve the classical ballet [ ... ]

    From AED 400
  • SCHLiNGEL Abu Dhabi: day two

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A weekend of films for children and the young, presented by the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region as a taster version of the well established SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival held in Chemnitz, Germany. The Abu Dhabi version runs over the weekend of [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Sister Act: The Musical

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Deloris Van Cartier seeks refuge in a convent after witnessing a crime, and her vibrant personality and musical prowess injects the convent’s choir with infectious energy and harmony. It's based of course on the Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • ECSO 10th Anniversary Concert

    Dwight School Dubai Dubai Sports City, Dubai

    The tenth anniversary of the Emirates Community Symphony Orchestra is being celebrated with a programme of crowdpleasers. Jonathan Grover conducts, the piano soloist for the Chopin is Jelena Matveyshaja. Entrance is free, just email ecsosymphony@gmail.com with the number of tickets [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hotel California – the Musical

    The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Three nights of exuberant musical theatre to wind up Culture Emulsion’s annual Tous en Scène festival of Francophone theatre. The action takes place on an isolated island in the titular luxury hotel; the owner, who disappeared ten years ago, has [ ... ]

    AED 110
  • LAST CHANCE Valdés

    Anima Gallery 30 La Croisette, Porto Arabia, The Pearl Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    A solo exhibition of works by Manolo Valdés, the Spanish artist known for his unique approach of drawing from art history to create his paintings, prints, and sculptures in a signature style of pared-down forms and unrefined mark-making. Through meticulous [ ... ]

    Free
  • SCHLiNGEL Abu Dhabi: day three

    The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Last day of this weekend of films for children and the young, presented by the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region as a taster version of the well established SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival held in Chemnitz, Germany. The Abu Dhabi version runs over [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register